Chapter Text
“This is quite the feat of engineering,” Ingo says as he looks over the wooden chair Pesselle is wheeling up to his bed. “Is this what you and Sanqua were discussing the other day?”
“It is!” Pesselle says as she parks the chair next to the bed. The main structure of the chair was a polished wood, with large wheels on the side and a smaller one at the front, attached to a steering rod. The section for the feet swooped down to allow room for the feet to hang, and the seat of the chair was a plush blue fabric. “The Professor had a book that detailed it, and he and Sanqua got about putting it together for you.”
“Will he be able to rest his foot properly?” Emmet says from the end of the bed as he walks around to inspect it. “Wheelchairs in our time, they have footrests. This one doesn’t. Will that be alright?”
“I believe the Professor said that they are curved like that to allow patients to move in and out of the chair,” Pesselle says, bringing a hand up to her chin in thought. “With where Ingo broke his leg, specifically his shankbone here,” she reaches over and waves her hand above his shin, Emmet and Ingo both watching attentively, “we don’t want him to be putting active weight on it.”
Ingo raises his hand, then pauses when he realizes his action and brings it back down sheepishly. “I presume that is to help it heal, correct?” Pesselle gives a simple nod, while Emmet smiles deviously at the raised hand behind her. “Then if I want to rest it, I need to be sure to have a soft pillow of some sort there?”
Pesselle’s face crumples in thought for a moment before she speaks. “I would at least have you use a Staravia down pillow instead of one of the Stantler fur pillows we have here.” As if to accentuate her point, she picks up the pillow from the empty bed behind her and smooshes it. “These have too much stiffness to them, and would apply too much force to your leg.”
Ingo and Emmet both nod in understanding before Ingo scoots a little closer to the side of the bed. “Emmet. Help me into the chair, please.”
“I am Emmet!” Emmet says as he dutifully moves into place, lifting Ingo’s good arm up and wrapping it around his own shoulders to lift him up and gently drag him off of the bed. “Oooh, you’ve gotten heavier,” Emmet chides as he gets Ingo out of the bed, his brother putting his good foot on the ground to help stabilize them both. “You’re more muscular than Uncle Drayden.”
“That is a lie and we both know it,” Ingo snaps back, waving his finger in Emmet’s periphery. “That man would not lose muscle mass in his retirement.” With a twinned grunt, Emmet manages to spin Ingo around and get him into the chair, the older twin sinking into the cushioned seat. “It certainly is more comfortable than the wheelchairs in Unova.”
“Not that either of us have used one since high school,” Emmet says with a nod as he makes sure his brother is seated properly, before getting Ingo’s coat from the nearby hook and hanging it on the back of the chair. “Back when you broke your leg during gym class.”
“Mostly because you got rough and knocked me into the bleachers,” Ingo says with a sly glare, making a show of looking over Emmet with a mischievous frown as he puts his hat on. “Pesselle, do you have any more of these chairs?”
“I’m glad that you asked, Warden,” Pesselle says with a calm, closed eye smile. “Sanqua made only one Circhester Chair. So if your brother will require one, I will in turn make sure that you aren’t using it.”
The threat carried clear enough to give both Emmet and Ingo pause, with Ingo quickly grabbing a hold of the left wheel. “Point taken!” Pulling on the wheel, Ingo turns himself away from the bed and towards the door. “Come Emmet, let’s go hit the town.”
As Emmet grabs ahold of the handles on the back of the chair, Pesselle waves to the pair. “Enjoy the outdoors, Ingo, but be sure to return before sundown.” Ingo raises a hand in a thumbs-up position as the twins enter the hallway, and make their way towards the door.
Once at the door, Emmet stops the chair and walks around to the door. “I can let Salamanca out. So she can use Psychic to let you down,” Emmet says casually, and the idea causes Ingo to perk up in the chair.
“I would absolutely love to see my baby girl,” Ingo says quickly, watching Emmet pull out a worn Pokeball with a purple flame painted along the seams. Emmet holds the ball for a second before tossing it over to Ingo, who catches it with ease and brings it close to his chest.
With a deep breath, Ingo clicks the button on the ball, expanding it out of stasis, then again to pop it open. A flash of red and white light spills in front of him, and the oblong shape of a Chandelure forms in the doorway, swaying slightly as she wakes up. With a chime, she stretches her arms out, and Ingo finally finds his voice. “Salamanca?”
The swaying stops as Salamanca whirls around in spot to look at Ingo, her eyes wide and flames sputtering for a brief moment. Then, with a soft screech, she rockets into Ingo’s chest, nuzzling close to him, causing Ingo to laugh and wrap an arm around her. As her flames wash over him, a chill runs through Ingo’s body, the brief sensation of his dear partner taking a bite of his soul, to reconnect the two of them. “Take what you need, dear,” Ingo says softly, resting his forehead on the glass of her globe.
After a moment, Ingo lets go of her, and Salamanca rises from in front of him, and bobs around the chair, chiming in concern. “My cab was in a collision, but I am still functional,” Ingo says in an attempt to soothe her, causing her to instead chime indignantly and knock into the chair. “Emmet tells me that he taught you how to use the move Psychic?” Salamanca pauses and chimes in affirmation, and her flames turn pink as Ingo and his chair are delicately lifted and brought down the stairs to the main road in front of the Galaxy Building.
Once the chair reaches the ground, Ingo lets out his breath, and holds his arm out towards Salamanca. “Bravo, girl! You have fantastic control over the move!” Chandelure chimes and spins, then sets down to rest in Ingo’s lap.
“I am Emmet. I decided to try to run her more offensively in the Doubles line,” Emmet says as he once again begins pushing the chair. “She’s shaking things up for the long time riders. You should’ve seen Hilbert’s face when he lost because of her new moves.”
“Oh, you beat the Champion again, girl?” Ingo says, looking down at Salamanca and getting a happy chime from her as he strokes her glass, ignoring the falsely offended huff from his brother behind him.
Before the twins could go much further down the road, a voice calls out from the Wallflower, pulling Ingo and Emmet’s attention towards Beni as he quickly shuffles towards the dirt road. “Ah, Emmet, I wanted to speak with you.” Ingo notes his brother bristling slightly at the acknowledgement, and Salamanca lets out a low chime as she rises up above the pair.
“I am Emmet,” Emmet says curtly, standing up straight behind Ingo’s chair, as Ingo tries to twist in the seat to look at Beni and listen to the talk better.
Beni pauses to catch his breath from the speed that he had shuffled over with (not that he needs to catch his breath, he’s a Reshiram-known ninja), then bows slightly to Emmet. “I wish to apologize to you, Emmet. I did not mean to offend you, or to add stress to you the other day.” Emmet’s stance relaxes slightly, but not entirely. “I will still ask that you do not bring Pokemon inside, but if you are ever having an… Episode like that again, you’re free to be at the outside tables with them.”
It’s silent for a moment before Emmet shakes his head and turns back to the chair. “That is fine. I am Emmet. If I eat at your restaurant, it will only be outside.” Without waiting for a response, Emmet begins to push the chair. “Good-bye.” Salamanca mimics the sound and follows her trainer.
Even as Beni stood there shaking his head, Ingo was having trouble containing his laughter. “Emmet, brother, I wouldn’t say that Beni is the nicest man, but he was trying to apologize.”
“I know,” Emmet says as they approach the general store, where Choy was busy readying the front counters for the day. “I am Emmet. I can accept apologies however I wish.”
“Then I hope no one else has drawn your ire,” Ingo says ruefully as he pats Emmet’s hand to have him stop. “Good morning, Mr. Choy!”
Choy looks up from the counter and gives Ingo a tired but polite smile. “Good morning, Warden! I’m surprised to see you mobile already.” Stepping around the counter, Choy gives Emmet a shallow bow in greeting as well. “Pesselle likely is only letting you out under your brother’s supervision.”
Emmet’s resting smile extends into a smirk as he simply nods. “A conductor seeks safety for all their passengers. Pesselle understands that well.” He reaches forward and smooshes Ingo’s hat, causing his brother to squawk in protest and Salamanca to chime in jest. “Besides, Ingo owes me a tour.”
“I am a battle instructor, not a tour guide!” Ingo says, pushing Emmet’s hand away. “And Akari showed you around a few days ago. You said you liked the photography studio.”
“I am Emmet, and I did!” Emmet says with a laugh and a nod. “But she didn’t take me here.” Emmet turns Ingo’s chair so he’s facing the store directly and leans over the merchandise on the table. “Oh, are these potions meant to be ingested? Almost all of our potions back home are sprays.”
“Ingested or topical!” Choy says with a trained customer service flair, reaching over to pop open a normal Potion. “It works best if ingested, since they contain trace amounts of morphine, but spreading it over a shallow wound would also get the job done.”
While Emmet looks up in disbelief at standard Pokemon medicine containing morphine of all things, Ingo clears his throat and pulls Choy and Emmet’s attention to him. “Speaking of medicine, has my order come in yet?”
Choy opens his mouth to speak before closing it, his brow furrowing slightly as he turns to check his backstock. “I don’t think I have it yet. It’s a non-morphine opiate, so we don’t normally carry it in the village.” Emmet’s disbelieving stare now shifts to Ingo, who remains unflinching under his twin’s scrutiny. “I keep telling you, if you just tried the goshajinkigan, we’d be able to get that together for you much easier instead of relying on the Guild to import it.”
“I know, I know,” Ingo says with a shake of his head. “But it gave me indigestion, and that was almost as bad. And I don’t like the taste.”
“Yet you like the taste of opium,” Emmet mutters as he shakes his head.
“I tolerate the taste of it, and it doesn’t give me the runs,” Ingo says sharply, glaring at his brother. “I have been careful with my intake, Emmet, so I don’t want you being a worrywart over it.”
“Ok. I am Emmet, and I will drop it.” Emmet throws his hands up in defeat and steps back behind Ingo, turning to look down the road and stroke Salamanca’s globe as a signal that he was outside of the conversation now.
“Anyway,” Ingo stresses as he looks back at Choy and clears his throat. “Thank you for keeping me up to date. If I’m able to escape the medical ward in the coming days, I will come to you.”
Choy lets out a polite laugh and gives Ingo and Emmet a slight bow. “Of course, Warden! I hope to see you active again soon.” With a shared laugh between the two, Ingo brings a hand up to wave good-bye to the merchant as Emmet begins to wheel him away.
As the twins go down Flaoro Main Street, Emmet speaks up. “So, what is the opium for?”
“It’s not opium, it’s an opiate,” Ingo says with a sigh, taking his hat off and leaning his head back to look up at his brother unobscured. “It’s basically a weaker hydrocodone. Cheaper than the morphine that has to come from Unova, and more effective than the herbal remedies Calaba would give me.” Emmet hums in understanding, and Ingo continues. “It’s to help with my back pains. I injured myself when I landed here in Hisui.”
“Akari told me you climbed a mountain when you arrived,” Emmet says with a chuckle as they turn to cross the bridge by the eastern gate. “Hard to do if you injured your back.”
Ingo doubles over with a barking laugh before wincing and straightening himself with a strained hiss. “Ok, maybe it wasn’t when I landed,” he eventually says once he has his breath. “But a few weeks after I arrived, I did fall off of a small cliff I was climbing.”
“What happened to all of the rock climbing you did in college?” Emmet teases as he follows Ingo’s gestured directions towards the pastures. “Surely you didn’t forget your safe- Oh, wait.”
“You know I did!” Ingo cuts in, getting a laugh from his twin. “Of course I didn’t try to get a secure line, or keep my route to just inclines and within 10 feet of solid ground! That's why I’m in this damn chair!” Ingo pauses, and repositions himself in the cushion, putting a dignified frown on his face. “As nice as it is.”
“Don’t let Sanqua hear that,” Emmet chides as he pushes Ingo’s hat forward over his face. “Let’s go get your other Pokemon.”
Salamanca chimes a short tune as she races ahead of the pair, floating right past Marie and over the fences. “Why, that’s a beauty!” Marie says as the twin’s approach. “Is it one of your Pokemon, Emmet?”
While fixing his hat, Ingo shakes his head. “No, she’s my original partner,” he says with a proud frown. “I was hoping to introduce her properly to Mistralton, since he’s a little clingy to me.” Almost on cue, the chittering cry of a Gliscor is heard, followed by the shrill shriek of a Chandelure.
“... I am Emmet. I think she sounded happy?” With a nod from Ingo, Emmet leaves Ingo with Marie and quickly enters the pastures to go find the pair of Pokemon before things get out of hand.
After Emmet disappears over the first hill, Ingo looks over to Marie. “Have my other Pokemon been acting well? I know Elesa came by to check on them every few days when her schedule allows.”
“They’ve been doing good,” Marie says as she closes the gates to the pasture and then starts wheeling Ingo along the worn paths towards the growing commotion. “Caitlin has been keeping them in check whenever Mistralton tries to cause some trouble, and Stark has just been keeping to itself for the most part.”
“Ah yes, Stark has always been quiet,” Ingo muses quietly as they crest the first hill to see Emmet frantically yelling at Salamanca to let Mistralton go from the hold that she was putting on him with Psychic. “It seems as though he has more in common with me and Elesa than anticipated, considering he seems to recognize the places she would mention.” With Marie now cautiously pushing him downhill, Ingo raises his good hand to his mouth and lets out a sharp two-tone whistle.
“Finally!” Emmet cries in relief as Salamanca lets go of Mistralton, and the Gliscor uses his claws to launch himself into the air, directly at his trainer. Even with the distance and the speed as he glides directly above the grass, Mistralton flares out his wings and slithers up around the Circhester Chair with a snicker, resting his head on Ingo’s.
Salamanca was the next to arrive, though Stark wasn’t too far behind to hover in her bubble over Ingo’s head, its sparking going in time with Salamanca’s own crackling. “Good morning, Stark!” Ingo says cheerfully, holding his hand up to gently pat the Magnezone’s underside. “Have you and the others been staying well while I’ve been convalescing?” The magnetic Pokemon lets out a whir and buzz as Caitlin and Twist, his Alakazam and Machamp, come over a nearby hill to investigate the whistle.
“I am Emmet. I was worried Salamanca would cause a scene,” Emmet says as he comes back to the pair. “Which she did, but no foul.” As Emmet absently nods to himself, Twist looks over the wheelchair Ingo is in, then bumps Marie out of the way and takes a hold of the handles.
“I think the two of them were just greeting each other,” Ingo says, looking at the pair of Pokémon as they continue to circle around the pair in a leisurely way. “Which I was hoping to introduce her to the rest, but it seems Pinwheel and Anville are content to stay here for the day.”
With a point, Ingo directs Twist to lead them all back towards the entrance of the pasture, where they collect Gliscor and Caitlin’s Pokeballs. While Ingo is permitted to move around with a Pokemon out as a externally contracted member of the Security Corp, having an entire team follow him around would be excessive, even by his standards. And thus, the quartet of twins and Pokémon made their way along the river to the fields. While Emmet initially made the turn towards the Training Dojo, Ingo directed Twist in the opposite direction, towards Colza.
“Ah, Warden, glad to see you out and about!” Colza says as he steps away from the tilled fields. “How are you feeling?”
Ingo does his best to straighten up and adjusts his hat on his head, while Twist does a salute with one of his free hands. “I’m doing better than I was when I was virtually comatose!” Ingo says, eyes closing like a snacking Purrloin. “I feel stiff as a board though, so even getting fresh air is desperately needed.”
“Oh, I’m sure, I’m sure!” Colza says, smiling widely and laughing, nodding in appreciation as Emmet’s own smile widened to match “Though, I may have to rain on the parade a little. We have a poor yield this time around with the beans.”
Emmet simply cocks his head, and Ingo tilts his head over to fill him in. “Sneasler loves Plump Beans, and since she has been hunting for her kits recently more so than for herself, I wanted to get her some.” As Emmet nods in understanding, Ingo turns back to Colza. “I’m assuming Beni, Tao Hua, and Choy for first picks?”
“Unfortunately, with how the contracts are written up, that is the case,” Colza says with a sigh, his smile fading. “You’ll be the first in line with the next yield, though! We won’t let people go without their orders forever!”
“Good, good!” Ingo says, raising his good hand and twirling it around. Taking the cue, Twist begins to turn him around. “Thank you for the update, Captain Colza, and I hope you have a wonderful day!” As the pair approach the Training Grounds, they see that Zisu and Wenton are already talking with Cynthia and Elesa, while Elio and Akari are having a practice battle on the arena field unsupervised.
“Oh, looks like we have a crowd,” Ingo says to Emmet as they approach, getting a hum in response as his brother picks up his pace and sandwiches himself between Elesa and Cynthia.
“Hello, Deerling~” Elesa says with a giggle, bringing a hand up to run her fingers through one of his sideburns. As Emmet melts into her hand, she turns to face Ingo as Twist brings him up. “And there’s my Bounsweetie!”
“Ah, Warden, you’re looking hale!” Wenton says enthusiastically, pulling Akari and Elio’s attention from their battle. “Coming to watch over the battles for the day?”
“I am Emmet,” the self-introducing Subway Boss cuts in as he straightens up. “I owe Zisu a battle from the other day.”
“I’m afraid I might have to bow out of that offer, Emmet,” Zisu says, rubbing the back of her neck. “I would love to try out a double battle, but Cynthia here just gave me a battle that I don’t think my Pokemon can recover from quickly.”
For her part, Cynthia barely looks apologetic as she shrugs, a smile still gracing her face. “I always struggle to hold back, unfortunately.”
“But it was a fantastic battle!” Wenton exclaims, pumping both of his fists in excitement. “I’ve never seen Pokemon move with such grace and ferocity at the same time! Especially her Togekiss, flying through the air without any resistance!”
“Verrrrry fun to behold,” Emmet says with a nod before deflating somewhat. “But it also means I’m without a battle.” Even with an exaggerated sigh and shrug to try and alleviate the mood, it was clear to the others that Emmet was actually disappointed that he didn’t get a fight.
“I have a solution for you, Uncle!” Elio butts in, bumping against Emmet and getting a quiet I am Emmet in response. “Akari and I were about to get some practice in!”
Akari then bumps up against Ingo, a devious smile plastered across her face. “We could show them a multi battle!” As soon as she says it, she brings her hands over her ears. While Zisu and especially Emmet perk up at the idea of a multi battle, Elesa was mimicking Akari’s motion, while Cynthia looks over in vague confusion.
Ingo takes his good arm and pushes himself up in his chair, his eyes sparkling with joy as he almost shakes in excitement. “BRAVO!” he shouts, causing Wenton and Elio to flinch in shock. “I hadn’t even thought about that! Opposing two-car trains, racing along their tracks to their next terminal!” With a grunt, Ingo twists as best as he can to face Emmet and pout at him. “Will you join cars with me for this, Emmet?”
Emmet lets out a surprisingly loud laugh, and clasps his hand against Ingo’s, squeezing it tight. “I am Emmet. You are Ingo. We make a perfect combination!” With a firm shake, Emmet lets go and rubs his hands together with manic glee, then grabs Ingo’s chair and begins to maneuver him to the other side of the battlefield. “Come! Let’s get set up!”
“Emmy, calm down!” Elesa says, quickly following her husband. “Are you sure you’re good for this, Ingo? I know the two of you get intense when it comes to battles.”
“I have to second the worry,” Cynthia says, tapping a finger against her chin as she steps up to the battlefield, Wenton and Zisu in tow. “You almost became a pretzel at the prospect of a battle.”
“He’ll be able to rein it in,” Zisu says, patting Elesa on the shoulder. “And if he doesn’t, I’ll be here to keep an eye on him while you’re on duty.”
“Oh!” Emmet exclaims as he and Ingo both deflate slightly. “You have to work?”
Before Elesa can say anything, Ingo raises a hand and nods. “No, no, we understand. Work always comes before leisure,” he says sagely. “We’ll be sure to fill you in on how it goes, Ellie.”
“Thanks, Deerling,” Elesa says as she leans down to kiss Ingo quickly on the mouth, then goes and does the same to Emmet. “No derailments, ok?”
“I am Emmet,” Emmet says with a nod. “I would never derail in such a battle.” After a quick hug from him, Elesa waves farewell and heads towards the entrance of the village, out towards the Fieldlands.
“So, how do these Multi Battles work?” Zisu asks as she steps into the arena. “Is it pairs, or tag team, or sequential?”
“Sequential would be more like a battle facility,” Cynthia chimes in from her spot on the side of the field. “Like the Battle Subway. You fight trainer after trainer to reach the Boss or Tycoon at the end.”
“And tag is a more informal process, like a Rotation Battle,” Ingo adds, pulling out his Pokeballs to go through his options.
“Hm. No, they use Rotations as an official format at the Maison,” Emmet chimes in. “I went for a promotional battle against Evelyn a few weeks before Elesa disappeared. Her older sister, Morgan, specializes in it.”
“Oh, interesting!” Ingo mutters, his eyebrows raising in thought. After a moment, he shakes his head and refocuses on the others with him. “So, the way that a Multi Battle works is that each side uses just two Pokémon. While Battle Facilities limit you to just the two, most tournament settings allow you to declare three Pokemon and pick two from those three.” He glances up at Emmet, who nods, then back to Akari and Elio. “I think it’s fair for us to skip the declaration rule, even if this isn’t an official Subway battle.”
“I hope you treat it like one,” Akari says with a smile as she pulls Elio back to conspire on a team set up.
“A battle isn’t fun unless it’s serious!” Emmet says with an easygoing smile, before it curls into an almost predatory look. “Alright, Ingo, we’re not losing to our niece and nephew.”
“Calling them your nephew now, Emmet?” Cynthia says teasingly, getting a huff from the man in white.
“Wenton, go watch Elio and Akari choose, I’m gonna join Ingo and Emmet,” Zisu says, waving the other Security Corp member over to the teenagers. With a light jog, she joins up with the twins and corrals them to the other side of the pitch. “So, are we going to be seeing any surprises from you, Ingo?”
Ingo taps his chin in thought, before holding his hand up to Salamanca. “I only have a few Pokemon with me at the moment. Just enough to declare, honestly.”
“So you’re sticking to your Machamp, this…” Zisu pauses as she looks over Salamanca, “chandelier?”
“Close,” Emmet says with a nod. “She is Chandelure.”
“Indeed,” Ingo adds, nodding in unison with his brother. “I have those two, with my Alakazam and Gliscor in their balls.” He looks at Emmet’s belt, then up at him. “Unless you brought more members of my team?”
Emmet shakes his head. “I am Emmet. I have my team, with Chandelure as a… Stowaway, according to the rules.” Ingo grimaces and nods, understanding what Emmet was getting at. While people are allowed to have multiple Pokemon beyond the usual League-approved 6 man team, it is frowned upon in most regions to carry that many if you are intending to battle other trainers. For League Trainers or Facility Trainers, it’s almost forbidden, with some Facilities even penalizing their trainers for it.
“I do think I’ll declare Chandelure, but not use her,” Ingo says, recalling the Pokemon back to her ball. “While I desperately want to battle with her, I also need to reacquaint myself with her moveset.”
“I’m going with my usual,” Emmet says with a nod, pulling the three Pokeballs from his belt. “Archeops, Eelektross, Durant. I will leave Durant on the bench unless he matches up well.”
“Then I will take Gliscor and Machamp,” Ingo responds, eyes squinting in joy. “Wait, you’re just using your Super Multi set-up.”
“Of course! It’s a perfect combination,” Emmet says with a laugh, before looking up as Akari whistles at him. “Oh, are you two done?”
“Yeah, we’ve decided,” Elio says, jogging over to the center of the arena, Akari behind them. Ingo takes the chance to recall Twist to his Pokeball, and lets Emmet wheel him to the center as well. Zisu and Wenton take their leave, and join Cynthia at the sidelines. “So, we declare, and then step back, right?”
Cynthia nods. “I’ll referee,” she declares, sinking into a casual stance with her hand on her hip. “I’ll be keeping you all to League Standard, even though this is a casual match.”
League Standard is the regulation rule set for every major region's Pokemon League. It is still a fairly lax rule set, to allow children and young teens to appropriately play, but not as open-ended as a casual match. You can’t put more than two opposing Pokémon to sleep, you can only have two Pokémon of the same species, you have to offer the rules to declare incoming Pokémon, and you must battle at the level of the challenger. Otherwise, there are no other restrictions on what Pokémon are us-
“We will also function with a Facility Ban List,” Emmet adds with a nod. “Please put Sol away, Elio.”
“Coward,” Elio says with a pout as they put the Quick Ball in their pocket and pull out a Great Ball instead. “Should we declare first?”
Cynthia gives a nod to them, and Akari holds up three carved Pokeballs. “I’m declaring Gardevoir, Staraptor, and Typhlosion.”
Elio nods as they hold up their chosen Poke Balls. “I’m declaring Decidueye, Hariyama, and Lycanroc.”
Emmet holds out three Pokeballs, shrunken to their dormant state. “I am Emmet. I will use Eelektross, Archeops, and Durant.”
Ingo had been placing the Pokeballs in his lap for ease of access with his injured arm, so he simply holds up Salamanca’s ball. “And I will use Chandelure, Machamp, and Gliscor.”
“Wait, Chandelure?!” Akari exclaims, eyes lighting up in wonder. “So I finally get to see your starter in action?”
Ingo laughs and begins to turn his chair around to avoid having to keep a poker face as he lies. “Most likely! She won’t leave me alone if I leave her out of this.” He clears his throat, and Emmet steps behind him to move him back off of the field.
“Alright, everyone get in place,” Zisu says as she claps her hands once to catch the teenager’s attention. “If you have anything you want to say before the battle, go ahead.”
Akari and Elio look expectantly at the adults across from them, and with a nod from Emmet, huddle together conspiratorially. They converse for a second, then break apart. “Trust me, trust me,” Akari says with a wide grin. “Follow my lead, this’ll be great.”
She steps up to the battle line, standing with one hand held out to the side, and one hand over her chest. “Heh! You’re going down, Uncle Ingo!” With that declaration, she throws her hand into the air, splaying her hand open before bringing her arms down beside her. “Be ready to face the power of a Champion!” She brings her arms up and crosses her wrists over her forehead as she twirls around, the ends of her hanten flaring outward.
As she completes her twirl, she brings a knee up and her arms back down, pulling a Pokeball from her belt. She brings her foot back down to kick into a second spin, arching her back like a ballerina, then points the pinky, thumb, and pointer fingers on both hands, raising them above her body, ending the display by planting her feet to the ground, putting a hand on her hip, and holding the other with the Pokeball over her forehead. “I, Survey Scout Akari, will prove your defeat today!”
Elio steps in line beside her, grinning from ear to ear. “Oh, so that’s what we’re doing?” They say to themselves as they bounce in place lightly, shaking their arms and neck. Then, with a deep breath, they brace themselves, staring down Emmet. “I’ll show you what happens when you defy me!” Elio squares their stance out and points both hands forward towards the Subway Boss, fingertips out. They then slowly bring them out to their sides, briefly T-posing.
In a flurry of motion, they bring both arms back in towards their body, then push their right arm across their torso in a diagonal position, their open palm facing away from them. They slowly move their arm in an arc over their head, “Champion…” As it reaches the opposite diagonal, they bring their right arm down and quickly move their left arm into the same spot, “Henshin!”
Both teenagers freeze in their poses, before they both break into giggles over each other’s action. “Did you really go for Hera Rider?” Akari asks as she collects herself. “Barry loves that series!”
“Of course!” Elio says, thumping their chest with a smile. “I figured if you went with Sailor Lunatone, I should go for a classic too!”
As the young Champions were now getting set across the field, Emmet wheels Ingo into a proper position and stands next to him, his back straight. Both twins breathe deeply in unison, and bring up hands to the brims of their caps. “Let me introduce myself again,” Ingo calls loudly, his voice enveloping not only the dojo, but traveling down Flaoro Avenue. “I am Warden Ingo, though today I will function as Subway Boss once more. Naturally, there is nothing to say to those who have come this far.” With a twinkle in his eyes, he glances over to Emmet.
“What I say. What I do,” Emmet rattles off, his smile sharpening as he grips the bill of his hat tighter. “Always the same. Follow the rules, safe driving! Follow the schedule.” Emmet pauses, then gently nudges Ingo’s chair, bringing the hand down from his hat to rest on the chair. “Smile, Ingo.” Ingo scrunches his nose at Emmet before clearing his throat and deepening his frown into a scowl. Emmet laughs, bringing his other hand up to point upwards, a Pokeball balancing between his thumb and pointer finger. “Check safety! Everything’s ready!”
Next to him, Ingo raises a hand to point towards the sky in a mirrored motion, a Apricot Pokeball balanced in the same way. “Let’s have the greatest battle, better than ever before!”
“Aim for victory!”
Emmet pulls on the handle of Ingo’s chair, turning him in an unrehearsed manner to mimic his twin’s customary turn. “ALL ABOARD!” The twin’s cry rings across the town, Emmet easily matching Ingo’s volume as they launch their Pokeballs into the field, fingers outstretched to point at their challengers. At the same time, Akari and Elio threw out their Pokeballs.
On Akari and Elio’s side of the field appear Sorel, the Decidueye, and Ember, the Hisuian Typhlosion. On Ingo and Emmet’s side, Twist the Machamp and Fluff the Archeops. “Now that both teams are positioned,” Cynthia begins, raising her right hand into the air, “BEGIN!”
“Earthquake!” Emmet’s cry cut out first, with Archeops doing a tight backflip before divebombing into the ground. Slamming her feet and wings into the earth, the very ground beneath everyone’s feet begins to shake heavily. While it nearly makes Zisu and Wenton fall over, the damage was contained to the field - The earth cracks upwards and the pressure from the tectonic forces blows dirt and steam up against the other Pokemon for massive damage. While Decidueye seems almost unfazed, and Machamp seems only slightly winded, Typhlosion lets out a cry as the move nearly takes it out.
“What in the Whirl was that?!” Zisu shouts as Cynthia helps her up, the Champion having been unaffected on her heels. “Emmet, do not use that move again!”
Emmet smiles sheepishly, then looks down at Ingo and whispers, “Is that what I sound like to you?”
Ingo snickers and shakes his head. “She’s more terrifying.” Focusing back to the battle, Ingo raises his finger to point at Akari. “Machamp, attack Typhlosion! Full speed ahead!”
“Ember, Infernal Dance!” Akari shouts, as next to her Elio shouts their command next to her. “Sorel, shoot the bird down!” But even with the frantic commands, Machamp had his orders. Full speed ahead means to be the first out the gate, and his Bullet Punch lands in Typhlosion’s stomach with a loud thud, the motion and sound overshadowing Decidueye’s Spirit Shackle striking Archeops in the leg, shackling it in place.
Growling in frustration as Cynthia calls out the first loss of a Pokemon, Akari recalls her Typhlosion in its Poke Ball while Archeops chows down on its Sitrus Berry. “I was hoping she would at least get to do something,” she grumbles as she switches her Pokeballs. “Alright, Skylar! Let’s show them what we can do!”
With a flash and a shrill cry, the Staraptor hits the field and spreads its wings wide. “Aerial Ace!” Emmet and Akari shout simultaneously, with Akari quickly adding, “Agile, then hit the other with Air Slash!”
“Ice Punch!” Ingo shouts as Elio says his command, quiet enough to be unheard across the field, though Decidueye obviously hears them as it crouches down in preparation.
Both birds sprung into motion and divebomb their targets, Staraptor moving faster than Machamp could track and striking it down with its talons. Machamp lets out a shout as its torso is sliced, falling to a knee as its attacker whirls around and launches a pressurized slice of air at the moving Archeops. Archeops, however, is prepared and rolls to the side, before swinging her wing down on Decidueye, the blow knocking the archer back several feet for an assured KO.
“Sorel!” Elio cries out, watching their starter crumple. “Please, get back up!”
Decidueye slams a clawed hand into the ground as it falls, stopping itself before it could hit. Everyone pauses for the briefest moment as it unsteadily gets to its feet, and suddenly lunges forward. Archeops, in an attempt to dodge, trips over the Spirit Shackle around its leg, and Decidueye cuts it down with a critical Leaf Blade.
“Machamp and Archeops are unable to battle,” Cynthia calls out as the twins both recall their Pokemon. A groan could be heard from the fence line where two of the children from the village were watching, getting the pair a wave from both Akari and Ingo.
After that, though, there is no more time wasted as the twins throw out their next set of Pokémon. As Gliscor and Elektross hit the field, Staraptor and Decidueye flared out their wings in preparation to attack. Then, in what some would confuse for a lapse of attention as the four trainers threw their hands out in commands, the Pokémon were all in different positions. Gliscor, bruised and breathing heavily, hovered over a defeated Decidueye, while Staraptor was blown back into the dirt in front of Akari, her feathers slightly charred.
As Eelektross trills and swirls in place, Wenton steps to the edge of the arena with a hand up to stop the trainers. “Ok, I know most of you probably got that,” he says, looking to the pair of trainers, then back to Zisu and Cynthia, “but what just happened?”
“Oh, that's easy!” Akari says, recalling Staraptor back into her Pokeball. “Zisu, do you wanna come help show him?”
“Oh, I see where you’re going with this,” Cynthia says as she laughs into her hand, while Zisu follows Akari’s direction to stand in front of Ingo.
Akari, Zisu, Elio, and Emmet step into the field, in the relative places their Pokémon had stood. “So, Gliscor moved first,” Zisu starts, stretching her back out. “He went for an Aerial Ace against Elio’s Decidueye.”
“And Decidueye was going to hit Eelektross with a Spirit Shackle, since he’s a physical attacker!” Elio cuts in, taking the chance to adopt an archer’s pose and pull back the imaginary arrow as Decidueye wearily coos. “If we could confine him, even just a little, we could get an advantage.”
“But Gliscor moved faster!” Ingo says from his spot at the edge of the field. “Specifically with an Agile Style.” On cue, Zisu jogs over towards Elio, hand raised to prepare a mimed slash.
“But Staraptor was even faster, with an Agile Brave Bird!” Akari swoops in and tackles Zisu, causing the woman to stumble and laugh out loud as the teenager pummels her midsection. “It wasn’t ever going to be enough to take out Gliscor, it was mostly to soften him up.”
“Good call, yup!” Emmet comes over to pry Akari from Zisu, and the woman continues her path to Elio, ‘striking’ them down. The Alolan Champion puts their hand over their heart and dramatically spins before falling down next to their Decidueye. “Of course, that left a perfect opportunity for Eelektross.”
Stepping over to his Pokémon, Emmet takes off Eelektross’ magnet, and drapes it around his neck. “I am Eelektross!” Turning on his heel, he leans back and points a finger gun at Akari with a deadly smirk. “I saw that the Staraptor was open. Using my trusty Magnet, I shot out a Thunderbolt and landed a critical hit!” Akari lets out a squawk and collapses into the dirt where her Staraptor had lain.
With everything now settled, Ingo turns his chair to face Wenton. “As so energetically shown, that is what you missed. Do you have any further questions?”
Wenton at this point has the look of a particularly lost Magikarp, blinking slowly with his mouth open. “How did they all move so fast?” He looks down at Decidueye and points at it. “I may not know that variant, but those Pokemon don’t move nearly that fast.”
“But the rest do,” Cynthia chimes in, beckoning Zisu back over. “To put it in simple terms, Decidueye is about 70% as fast as the other Pokemon. And it’s still faster than most humans can be.”
While Wenton’s expression doesn’t change as Zisu slowly leads him back to the side of the field, he does nod in some understanding. “I… See. Pokemon truly are astonishing.”
“Anyway!” Cynthia calls out with a clap to pull everyone’s attention. “Staraptor and Decidueye are down, Akari is out of the battle!” With the call, Akari groans and sits down at the edge of the arena.
“You don’t have to say it so loud in front of everyone,” Akari says, looking out over the crowd that was beginning to gather at the fenceline. At the front stood Kamado, having just shouldered his way to the front, though people from all over the village were gathering around. Rei was actually crawling under the fence and making his way over to the battlefield to pat Akari on the shoulder.
“Well, I’m still in this,” Elio says with conviction as they recall their Decidueye into its ball. “It may be tough, but I’m sure I can clinch the win!” Elio breathes deep and pitches the ball onto the field. “Shinu! Let’s get out there and clean this up!” The Lycanroc lands on the field and lets out a howl, with the children and some of the more comfortable adults in the crowd letting out a cheer.
“Let’s start off with a Stone Edge!” Elio cries, throwing out their arm for emphasis. With a growl, Lycanroc crouches low, wiggling its butt as she hones in on her target.
With a bark, she lunges at Gliscor. “Reverse course and use Earth Power!” Ingo shouts, his Gliscor’s ears twitching as it leaps off the ground right as the Lycanroc lands. Where Gliscor had been moments before, the ground erupts into a jagged pillar of stone, having been intent on dealing a heavy hit to the scorpion-bat. In return, however, the ground beneath the wolf-dog cracks, with steam venting out, before erupting upward in a shower of mud, launching Lycanroc back several feet into a skid.
“Now's our chance!” Emmet quickly says, his Eelektross rushing through the air to flank Lycanroc. Before the Pokémon or its trainer could react, the Electric Eel Pokemon brings down a strobing Thunder Wave, the lightning coursing through its target and causing its muscles to seize.
“Good call, Emmet!” Ingo shouts to his brother, who had moved to the far corner during the action to keep a vantage on his Pokemon.
“I am Emmet!”
“Yeah, well, I’m not going down without a fight!” Elio shouts, gripping their Z-Ring. “Lycanroc! It’s ti-” Their command is cut off as Lycanroc suddenly yelps from her muscles tensing.
“I’ll be the first to leave the terminal!” Ingo shouts, pointing emphatically at Lycanroc, the theatrics eliciting a few cheers from the crowd, including from Akari where she and Rei were sitting, earning her a glare from Elio. “Gliscor, derail this train with another Earth Power!” With chittering aplenty, Gliscor short hops forward and drives it’s tail into the ground, causing another vent eruption under the wolf. Taking the blow, Lycanroc crumbles, barely keeping her eyes open.
“Shinu!” Elio cries out, causing the wolf-dog to shake and turn her head toward him. “Focus on Uncle Emmet’s electric Pokemon!” With a bark of acknowledgement, Elio crosses their arms in front of them. “Tectonic…” they start as they pull their arms to their left, then spin clockwise, slamming their right hand into the ground while holding their left in the air, “Rage!”
Lycanroc lets out a loud howl as she becomes enshrouded in Z Energy, light sparking across her fur. As the howl reaches its peak, the ground beneath Eelektross cracks open, revealing a deep chasm beneath him.
And Eelektross stays in the air above the chasm, and he quickly moves out of the way before the energy erupts from the opening. Everything is silent for a moment as Elio and the crowd process what they saw. “Wait… I hate Levitate!”
“I am Emmet, and I love not having a Mold Breaker use ground-type moves!” Emmet says, his smile widening. “Eelektross, use Thunderbolt!” With a gargle, Eelektross hits Lycanroc with a solid Bolt, crashing it into the ground at Elio’s feet.
“Lycanroc is unable to battle!” Cynthia calls as Elio bends backwards with a groan. “Survey Corp Member Akari and Champion Elio are both out of the battle! Warden Ingo and Subway Boss Emmet are the winners!” Several of the people in the crowd let out cheers, while more begin clapping. Despite his usual stoicism, Kamado could be seen politely clapping before going back through the crowd.
Ingo brings his hand up to his mouth and coughs into it, gathering the attention back to the twins. In almost perfect synchronicity, the twins bring an arm up and point to their respective protege in a mirrored pose. “We, Ingo and Emmet, are a two car train. This time, we were able to work toward a victory. Well, will you stop there?” Making direct contact with Akari, he lets a hint of a smirk hit his face. “Or will you challenge us again? It’s up to you.”
“I am Emmet! We won, but I’m not really satisfied. I can tell that you won’t give up.” Emmet nods, and he and Ingo bring their hands to their cap in practiced fluidity. “Because you will be much, much stronger. That’s why we will be waiting for you to come back!”
The crowd, falling into the energy of the speech, begins bubbling with excitement. Pokémon battles, rare and almost never to this intensity, are a mysterious affair, an entertainment that has novelty still. And with the promise of more to come…
“But,” Ingo’s voice cuts through the air, quieting the crowd down. “Let me say one more thing.” Turning his chair to face the crowd, Ingo pushes his hat up to show his eyes clearly to them, his frown softening into an almost smile. “There is no terminal called End in our lives!”
Zosu takes the chance to jog across the arena and address the crowd. “While we’ve always seen Pokemon battles as a life or death matter,” she starts, “I hope this has given you a chance to reconsider! Whether it’s training to prepare for your time outside of the village, bonding with your Pokemon, or just training for battle as a pastime, we would love to share our knowledge with you! Especially since we have such a skilled trainer in Cynthia here with us for the time being!” As she says the last sentence, she swings her hand back to gesture to Cynthia, whose face is best described as… Diplomatically happy, as though her mind is screaming about wanting to leave to study more of Hisui.
With that, the crowd began dispersing, while some others, mostly children, clamored into the Dojo. Zisu took over the duty of wheeling Ingo around as the pair and Wenton did their work of teaching people the basic ins and outs of Pokemon, while Elio and Emmet took a focus on Pokemon care, and Cynthia, Akari, and Rei would focus on battle strategies. Between the six of them, there wasn’t any aspiring trainer that would fall between the cracks!
After a few hours, a trilling cry is heard through the air, followed by a call of “Warden!” Disengaging from the child who was asking how best to chase Zubat without getting lost, Ingo looks down Flaoro Main Street to see Irida walking into the Dojo, followed by Sneasler and one of her children, from a brood two years past. “It seems like you’re having a busy day!”
“Oh, Lady Irida, hello!” Ingo tries to turn his chair quickly, Zisu grabbing ahold of the handles and turning it for him. “Yes, Emmet and I just did battle with Akari and Elio some time ago, and Zisu and I thought it would be a good time to conduct some lessons!”
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Irida says with a smile, a laugh evident but not present. “I heard some of the villagers talking about it when I was coming in, even! To think that attacks could be so powerful to cross the space to the Fieldlands!”
“I am Emmet,” the other twin says as he approaches. “I am not sorry for using Earthquake.”
“She might be talking about the Tectonic Rage from Lycanroc,” Ingo says with a wag of his finger. “Z Moves are particularly destructive, so I wouldn’t be shocked if they felt that.” Emmet nods and hums to himself in agreement. “So, Lady Irida, what brings you here to the village today? Are you in need of assistance nearby?”
“To a degree,” Irida says softly, as her smile fades a little. “Would you be able to follow me?”